Good Works Part Ii: The Righteous Acts Of The Saints Series

GOOD WORKS PART II: THE RIGHTEOUS ACTS OF THE SAINTS

Please open your Bible to Revelation 19 as we continue our series on Eternal Rewards with today’s message, “The Righteous Acts of the Saints.”

Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has

come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."(For fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) NIV

THE PURSUIT OF REWARDS

In order to grasp the seriousness of this message, there are four things that we must not forget.

First, every Christian will stand before Jesus at His Judgment Seat where He will personally examine every aspect of our life. He will examine our works, our attitudes, our motives, our obedience, and our faithfulness to Him with the full intentions of rewarding us with great rewards. In that moment, we will stand before Him, face to face, and heart to heart. Without any doubt, this will be the most serious moment of our lives, and what happens in that moment will be forever.

Second, worldwide signs tell us that the rapture of the church is very near, and that we must make every effort to be focused on eternity and God’s Kingdom. One of the great rewards of heaven is a special crown Jesus will give to those believers who are looking for and longing for His return. And yet, very sadly so few believers will receive this glorious crown because they are totally unprepared for Christ’s return. To prepare for eternity is to be prepared for Christ’s return.

Third, rewards in heaven are not earned in the sense that someone did a better job or because they had greater gifts and superior skills than someone else. That’s not how this works. Rewards are determined by our obedience to the opportunities God gives us regardless of whether they were big or small. For example, some opportunities in the eyes of the world are considered insignificant and yet, our obedience to God in the small things hold the key to great rewards. For that reason, we should be constantly aware to fulfill any opportunity to honor God no matter how small it is.

Fourth, our good works do not save us. However, it is God’s desire that we finish the good works He has created for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 …For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Our good works are important, because God uses them to see if we can be trusted with greater responsibilities in heaven. Jesus said if you can’t handle the small responsibilities on earth, how can He trust us with the greater responsibilities of eternity? (Luke 16:10-11)

The way we live our lives now, will have very serious consequences in eternity, because the person you are today is preparing you for the person you will be in eternity.

A. J. Gordon said, “Since this life is a training ground for greater responsibilities in eternity, all believers will be thoroughly judged, and once eternity begins, those who receive great rewards will shine brighter with greater glory as lightbulbs differ in brightness.”

These are the reasons why I preach this series.

The whole point, is to live in a way, so that when we stand before Christ, He will find our lives filled with golden nuggets and beautiful diamonds that will endure the test of His holy fire, rather than wood or straw that will burn and be lost forever.

That brings us to today’s message. In addition to the good works God created for us to do, there is

another level of good works the Bible calls “The Righteous Acts of the Saints.”

THE BRIDE AND THE ACTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Let’s look at a scripture that I believe is often overlooked that gives us a picture of eternity.

Revelation 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given, her to wear."(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) NIV

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will literally be one of the most significant events in heaven. There are so many things we could talk about here, but I want to keep this simple.

Who is the central focus at this Marriage Supper? The Lamb. That’s why it’s called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Who is the Lamb? Jesus Christ.

The only reason any of us will be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is because of Jesus Christ, who gave His life so we could be there with Him. He is the Lamb of God, the eternal King of kings and the central focus of heaven. Consider this; if all the praise, worship, and honor of heaven, is completely focused on Jesus, how much more should Jesus be the supreme focus of our lives?